Breaking News

Agriculture

Conservation District announces new ACAP grant application period

BURNHAM — Farm operations can now apply for funding through the Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP) to install best management practices such as waste storage facilities/mortality composters, forest and grass buffers, stream and wetland restoration, and heavy use area protection to name a few. Funding for the ACAP Program was originally created through the American Rescue Plan Act and the Clean Streams Fund and was established with the goal of reducing nonpoint source pollution to surface and groundwater supplies. The program is administered by the State Conservation ...

USDA-NASS agriculture update

U.S. and Northeast Region farm labor There were 797,000 workers hired directly by farm operators on the Nation’s farms and ranches during the week of Oct. 6-12, 2024, up 3% from the October 2023 reference week. Workers hired directly by farm operators numbered 808,000 during the week of July 7-13, 2024, up 3% from the July 2023 reference week. Farm operators paid their hired workers an average gross wage of $19.11 per hour during the October 2024 reference week, up 2% from the October 2023 reference week. Field workers received an average of $18.57 per hour, up 2%. Livestock ...

Pa. wheat production down, oats up

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania winter wheat production totaled 14.6 million bushels in 2024, down 16% from the 2023 total of 17.5 million bushels, according to Kevin Pautler, acting director of the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Northeastern Regional Field Office. Area harvested for grain totaled 195,000 acres, down 15% from the previous year. Yield was estimated at 75.0 bushels per acre, down 1.0 bushel from the previous year yield of 76.0 bushels per acre. Oat production was estimated at 3.01 million bushels, up 5% from 2023. Yield was estimated at 59.0 ...

Nearly $6M invested for access to healthy foods

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is partnering with Reinvestment Fund to invest nearly $6 million to improve access to healthy foods in underserved communities across the country. The investments are being made through the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) Planning Grant Program, which provides grants to organizations for healthy food retail or food retail supply chain projects in early-stage planning and pre-development phases. “No matter where you live in our country, you should be able to get affordable, fresh, and healthy food close to ...

Farming sustainably comes with a financial cost

CEDAR HILL, Mo. — On a rainy Sunday afternoon at Big River Grain and Cattle in Cedar Hill, a rural enclave outside St. Louis, farmer Daniel Bonacker rolls up an electric fence and lets his herd of 80 beef cattle onto a 30-foot strip of fresh milo. Milo is a stalky plant that resembles ...

Big Valley FFA members receive jackets

LEWISTOWN — Working in agriculture is the only life that Miley Kohler has ever known. So, when Kohler, a sophomore at Mifflin County High School, became old enough, she signed up to join the Big Valley FFA chapter. Kohler hopes FFA will enable her to teach others about the importance of ...